Coach: Kelly Sheffield (12 th season at Wisconsin, 292-61, 24 th year overall, 565-172).
2023 record: 30-4 overall, 15-3 Big Ten (second).
Big Ten preseason poll: 1. Nebraska; 2. Wisconsin; 3. Penn State; 4. Purdue; 5. Minnesota; 6. Oregon; 7. USC; 8. UCLA; 9. Ohio State; 10. Indiana; 11. Illinois; 12. Michigan State; 13. Washington; 14. Maryland; 15. Michigan; 16. Northwestern; 17. Rutgers; 18. Iowa.
Returning AVCA All-Americans: Sarah Franklin, 6-4, sr., OH – first team, player of the year; Anna Smrek, 6-9, sr., RS/MB – second team; Carter Booth, 6-7, jr., MB – third team; Devyn Robinson, 6-2, RS/MB – honorable mention.
More: 2024 Wisconsin volleyball schedule
Five storylines to watch for the 2024 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team
Can Sarah Franklin improve on last season's performance?
Franklin set the bar high last season when she averaged 4.15 kills, 1.93 digs and .53 blocks per set. Her kills per set as well as her .300 hitting percentage were career highs. The level of her play will be hard to top this season, but if you saw Franklin play with the U.S. national team earlier this summer you're not counting her out. She was arguably the best player on a team of top college players that won a silver medal at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six.
Julia Orzol gets back in the swing of the offense
With the addition of Temi Thomas-Ailara, Julia Orzol took on the role of libero last season and averaged a career-best 3.46 digs per set. She’s back at outside hitter this season. The native of Poland hasn't hit for a high percentage for her career, but her excellent passing and strong serve should make her a player who is hard to keep off the floor.
After two seasons of running a two-setter offense, it appears that UW will run a 5-1 attack with freshman Charlie Fuerbringer running the show at setter. It’s a big responsibility that Fuerbringer, the No 1 setter in the 2024 class, appears capable of handling. But it may take time for her develop chemistry with a veteran group of hitters, so it will be interesting to see how the Badgers play through a challenging early non-conference schedule that begins at No. 6 Louisville on Tuesday and continues Sunday and Monday with No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Stanford, respectively, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Devyn Robinson gets back to business
Preseason accolades don’t mean anything, but it is worth noting that Robinson, a three-time all-Big Ten selection, wasn’t voted as one of the top 20 players in the league in a poll of Big Ten coaches. It’s a rare omission for a three-time All-American, but last season was a challenge as she had to overcome a shoulder injury and the mental battle of meeting her expectations. She regained her form during the postseason and was locked in during the offseason, setting the stage for a strong finish to her UW career.
Will Carter Booth and Co. continue to control the net?
Wisconsin was the best blocking team in the nation last season with an average of 3.07 per set. and there is no reason why it can’t dominate in that regard again. The Badgers' top five blockers return: Booth (1.56 per set), senior Caroline Crawford (1.35), Smrek (1.13), Robinson (.92) and Franklin (.53).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sarah Franklin's encore performance, four other Wisconsin volleyball storylines to watch
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